The best bites — on the map

Belarus has an age-old tradition: the very first duty is to feed a guest. Our country can surprise even the most jaded gourmands. Culinary recipes have been shaped over many centuries, absorbing all the vivid character of national life. We possess gastronomic treasures well worth travelling to a particular city to experience.

To make it easier to decide where to go, the Belkartografiya state unitary enterprise has issued a Culinary Heritage of Belarus tourist map for gastronomic travellers. It brings together traditional Belarusian dishes, regional cooking variations and their descriptions, along with information about food festivals taking place across the country — all with the aim of promoting national cuisine.

The map marks locations where you can sample authentic dishes such as fried loach, pantsak [pearl parley porridge] with mushrooms, kulesh, chachokha, smoked garlic, vereshchaka, and more.

Therefore — armed with the map — let us set off on a culinary journey.

Vitebsk Region

The northern region is the only one in Belarus to be included in Europe’s Culinary Heritage. The cuisine of the Vitebsk area is based on centuries-old recipes, making abundant use of potato, forest berries, mushrooms, meat and baked goods. So, what do you absolutely need to try?

In Glubokoye District, be sure to sample klyotski ‘s dushami’ — hearty potato dumplings with a tempting meat filling hidden inside, known as ‘dusha’.

A traditional dish of the Braslav area is gulbishniki — a tender baked pudding made from grated potato with cottage cheese or meat. It is also hard to resist harezy pies — the signature local pastries with various fillings, served to guests with a cranberry drink.

Grodno Region

This area is famous for its historical and cultural heritage sites, as well as numerous restaurants that adapt centuries-old recipes for modern gourmands. A special place among the list of signature treats is held by traditional regional dishes which, thanks to their unique history and recipes, have been entered into the State Register of Intangible Historical and Cultural Heritage of Belarus. In Grodno Region, there are five elements belonging to the Traditional Food category. These include a variety of dishes made from grated potatoes, which are widespread across the region; the festive loaves of Volkovysk and Slonim; the bankukha from Porozovo; and the traditional regional cuisine of the agricultural town of Odelsk in Grodno District.

Dishes made from grated potato — draniki, potato pancakes, babka and others — are prepared according to longstanding original recipes of Volkovysk, Voronovo, Grodno, Dyatlovo, Zelva, Ivye, Lida and Shchuchin districts. «The traditions of cooking grated potato dishes in Grodno Region are based on age-old techniques passed down through families from generation to generation and are still actively used in modern cooking,» the Culture Department of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee explained.

The Slonim and Volkovysk areas are renowned for their unique festive loaves, whose baking is not merely a domestic art but a true spectacle for tourists. In Slonim District, festive loaves are baked for every occasion: weddings, welcoming guests, and Easter. The most important among the local baked goods is the wedding loaf. The pie for this celebration takes several days to prepare: the oven is heated, the dough is kneaded, the loaf is baked and then decorated with pine-cone shapes and symbolic figurines. 

The agricultural town of Odelsk in Grodno District is known for an entire array of treats that make up the region’s traditional cuisine. These include everyday babka and potato sausage, rye bread, festive trotters, bigos, tsimes, rustic blade-cut cheese, and ritual lomantsy [crispy pastry]. The local cultural centre eagerly welcomes tourists, staging presentations of these folk delicacies.

Perhaps the most original treat in Grodno Region, found in Svisloch District, is the bankukha from Porozovo. Today, the skill of making it is held by craftswomen from several families across three generations. In appearance, this local pie strongly resembles a Christmas tree with little branches. Both the recipe and the look of Porozovo bankukha differ from similar versions in neighbouring countries: ours is more branched and has no additional decoration. Guests are delighted to take this pastry home as a tasty souvenir.

Brest Region

If you decide to visit Brest Region in August, we strongly recommend including Ivanovo District in your itinerary. Every two years, the agricultural town of Motol hosts a large-scale culinary festival called Motalskiya Prysmaki (Motol Delicacies); the next one will take place in 2027. Initially conceived as a culinary contest among the housewives of Polesie, it has since grown into a major international event, drawing lovers of gastronomic tourism and tours with tastings.

Here, culinary traditions are cherished and honoured. The signature local dish is finger-stuffed sausage. There are dozens of recipes, and every housewife has her own secrets. During the festival, the hospitable women of Motol treat everyone to this delicacy.

The festival also hosts farmers’ fairs and other cultural events.

For the following fast food, people travel all the way from Minsk to Baranovichi. We are talking about lodochki — wafer-based sandwiches with a sausage, cucumber and sauces. The history of this local speciality began over 30 years ago. A local woman working in real estate in the early 1990s realised there was nowhere in town to get a proper meal, so she decided, together with her relatives, to open a fast-food eatery. She spotted a machine for making oblong waffle buns on television. The only one available was in Moscow, and it was called Lodochka (little boat). The device gave its name to this now hugely popular street food.

Mogilev Region

Mogilev Region boasts a rich culinary history, encompassing traditional Belarusian dishes as well as influences from neighbouring cultures. This creates a unique gastronomic palette that attracts tourists. There is one dish that draws thousands of visitors to Kirovsk every year. It has become a local brand. Can you guess what it is? Of course, smazhenka. People travel here to sample this treat. The café bearing the same name is included in the list of tourist routes in Mogilev Region.

For more than half a century, local co-operative workers have delighted customers with the consistently high quality of their produce. And that amounts to around 15 varieties of smazhenka — something for every taste — from the traditional meat-filled version to trendy ones with prawns and mozzarella. They are baked in the very workshop adjoining the café, so the signature dish of Kirovsk can always be enjoyed piping hot. Nothing sits around for long here: about 3,000 smazhenkas are sold in Kirovsk every day — that is on a weekday. At weekends, on public holidays and during the height of the tourist season, that number rises to 5,000.

Gomel Region

The region is rich in the traditions of Belarusian national cuisine, and when combined with the themed interiors of its eateries, decorative elements reflecting the culture, character and national customs of the Belarusian people, it makes for an unforgettable gastronomic journey. The traditional cuisine of the Gomel area is based on the recipes of Polesie. Its hallmarks are an abundance of potato, forest mushrooms and grains.

The signature dish is kulaga — a sweet treat made from fresh berries, honey and flour. It can be prepared using bilberries, lingonberries, rowan berries, guelder rose or raspberries. Kulaga is usually served cold, with pancakes, white bread and milk. Traditionally, it is made for the Kupala Night celebrations.